Sacrificial Lover
by showmaster64x
Summary: sequel to "Keep Your Enemy Closest". Suzaku and Lelouch must work out their feelings toward one another while at the same time contending with the fact that they fight on opposite sides of the rebellion. Yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is a sequel to my other story "Keep Your Enemy Closest". I highly recommend reading that first in order for everything to make sense.

Disclaimer: I don't own it

Rewrite of episode 20 of Code Geass. Lelouch's point of view

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Rain could be heard pounding loudly on the roof. Outside, the sky was a frighteningly dark color. Patches of heavy clouds were illuminated occasionally from flashes of lightning. For a split second, everything would be visible, and then, darkness once more.

The thunder that followed was loud enough to split my eardrums.

It was only a storm. It was caused by differences in atmospheric pressure, and the lightning, by imbalanced charges in the clouds and in the ground. It could be explained scientifically. It could be predicted.

But it could not be stopped.

To someone like me, who always had a plan for everything, a storm was a variable. It did not scare me, of course, but it induced in me a certain uneasiness. The kind that I felt during the times where I couldn't completely be in control.

And as I stared out the window, watching the water running down the glass pane, I noticed that Ashford Academy seemed nice and dry and warm.

Class wore on. I was already quite well versed in Britannian history and didn't feel the need to listen or take notes. I let my mind wander. Naturally, my thoughts drifted to Suzaku. I glanced to where he usually sat in this class. He was absent. I had suspected that he would be absent. Most likely, he was in a substantial amount of trouble after he had disobeyed orders. However, that didn't stop me from hoping that every time there was a knock on the classroom door, Suzaku would come in and take his seat.

But, then again, Lelouch Lamperouge knew absolutely nothing. Lelouch Lamperouge hadn't spoken with Suzaku Kururugi in almost a week. Zero, on the other hand, had spoken with Suzaku less than forty eight hours ago.

I felt my cheeks heat up at the remembrance of our sinful deed in that cave during a storm much like this one. I could not shake the feeling from my mind of Suzaku kissing me and touching me in such intimate ways that I would never have permitted, had he been any other man. It wasn't at all like the time when we were kids. This time, he had been much more sure of himself, older, and more knowledgeable in the ways of lovemaking. I hadn't realized until that night just how much I had been longing for Suzaku's touch.

The bell rang and tore my mind away from my heated daydream. We filed out of the classroom, and after retrieving my bag with my costume, I went straight to work.

It was another day, with more problems for Zero to deal with. As I sat on that couch (with Karen unknowingly blocking my view of the TV), Tamaki suddenly shouted something out.

"Were not part of it!" I assumed that he was talking about the incident in Kyushu, where the Chinese Federation, posing as Japanese, had invaded last night. Obviously, the media thought we were involved somehow. Please. As if we would do something so ridiculous. I stood up.

"What are we going to do about this, Zero?" Ougi asked.

"Absolutely nothing." I replied.

"So then are we just gonna sit and watch while these people and the Britannians kill each other?" said Tamaki. I turned my mask-covered face to him.

"Exactly."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

It wasn't until later that night, when I sat alone in my private chambers watching the battle from various well-placed surveillance cameras, that I fully realized the implications of those words.

Plenty was happening in the Fujioka base. I watched as the Lancelot took down tanks, helicopters, the entire first line of defense, completely on its own. It was both amazing…and horrifying. But worry clouded my mind.

No matter how you look at it, a single man cannot defeat an entire army.

My heart continued to sink as hours passed. No Britannian reinforcements arrived. The Lancelot kept up its brutal fight, but as time went by, it had taken some serious damage. According to my calculations, its fuel would soon be depleted. I felt my nails painfully dig into the palms of my hands. What did the Britannians wish to accomplish with this meaningless attack that was destined to fail?

What was Schneizel playing at? I clenched my fists angrily. Knowing him, he probably thought to send the Lancelot in to disrupt the main forces, and if it never returned, well, he most likely didn't even care.

I stood up, letting my rage consume me. Was this meant to be Suzaku's punishment? A suicide mission? Those of my own blood disgusted me. To them, Suzaku was expendable.

I stormed out of the room and into the hall. People I came upon promptly moved out of my way, feeling the intensity of my anger.

My feet came to a halt in front of a set of heavy metal doors. I entered the code into the keypad. The doors opened with a hiss to reveal the latest and greatest of my stolen treasures. I gazed upon the black foreboding armor of the Gawain.

I was Lelouch Lamperouge…I was Zero, Goddamnit. I had power enough to do anything. And there was absolutely no chance in hell that I would be watching my only, cherished, friend die a horrible death right before my very eyes.

I climbed into the knightmare.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I do not consider myself an exceptional pilot, but I do know a fair amount. Nevertheless, the Gawain so far had proved to be more of a challenge than I anticipated.

The controls, themselves, were a lot to handle for one person and required complex calculations and data input that probably was best left to a computer. There were many new systems to get used to and float system was still very new to me. But I knew I could handle it. I had to.

The Fujioka base came into view. I spotted the Lancelot surrounded by enemies, heavily damaged, weaponless, and completely overwhelmed. I was running out of time.

My finger twitched on the button. I had never fired the hadron cannons from this far away before. There was no room for hesitation. I pressed it and red beams erupted from the Gawain and cut away a circle of enemies around the Lancelot.

When I finally touched down next to the Lancelot, I briefly noticed the complete destruction that I had caused. I exited the Gawain and lowered myself onto the charred ground. Suzaku had done the same and stood, gazing up at me with hard eyes.

"What are you doing here, Zero?" Suzaku asked. I could barely hear him over the roaring fire. I hesitated for a moment. Why was I here? The reason was obvious, but it didn't really seem like the right thing to say.

"You don't deserve to die like this." I said. I held out my hand suddenly. "Come with me." Suzaku didn't move.

"I will not leave until the battle is won." Replied Suzaku as if it were the most obvious thing a person should do. Such a foolish but brave and honorable thing to say.

"The Gawain is a two-person knightmare." I said, my imploring tone betraying more of my emotion than I would have otherwise preferred. "We can finish this battle…together." I felt the heat of the flames beginning to lick at my sides. Still, Suzaku didn't move. I was starting to get desperate. Something slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. "Together…you and I can do anything!" I wasn't going to give in to Suzaku's overly inflated sense of pride. "PLEASE, SUZAKU!" I shouted.

My voice seemed to have jolted some sense into him. Slowly he walked forward and took my outstretched hand. Once our bodies were pressed together and Suzaku held me tightly, I grabbed the cable and lifted the both of us back into the cockpit of the Gawain. Wordlessly, we each settled into our respective controls.

From the outside, the freshly regrouped pseudo-Japanese army watched the imperious figure of the Gawain straighten up and draw its weapon. It would be the last thing they saw.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

"It's ok to shoot." I purred in Suzaku's ear. His body tensed. We were standing outside the Gawain on the floor of the base's secret jet hanger. In front of us knelt Sawasaki, with his hands tied behind his back and his eyes cast downward in defeat. Suzaku held a shaking gun to the man's temple. I continued.

"He may have known your father, but make no mistake. This man is a traitor. He abandoned his country when it needed him most." Suzaku's finger tightened on the trigger as he listened to those words. "He is nothing but a coward." I said. Suzaku continued to hesitate. Suddenly his gun was pointing at my face instead.

"You're one to talk." Suzaku growled. "I suppose it's easy to call other people cowards while hiding your own face beneath a mask." I had to chuckle a little at that. Slowly, I pulled out my own gun and aimed it at my dear friend.

"Then that makes all three of us." I concluded. Suzaku scowled.

"I have done much for this country and its people. And unlike you, I've done it all without wearing a mask." He snapped. I blinked, surprised that he had challenged me.

"The very fact that I am still wearing this mask proves your cowardice. You've had numerous opportunities to remove it." I reached up with my free hand and began to slide the mask off my face. Suzaku's eyes widened.

"Stop." He called. I didn't listen. There was the sound of a gunshot and I felt the sting of the bullet that grazed my shoulder. "Stop it." Suzaku said again turning his head away. With my point proven, I replaced the mask.

"You are afraid of this mask." I said, taking a step closer to Suzaku. "You are afraid of what's behind it." Suzaku's attempted to straighten his shoulders and take on a more confident stance. But he was trembling. I knew he couldn't shoot me. Not after what we had done. Not after what we had promised. "You are afraid of the things it allows me to do."

I walked up to Suzaku, pried his gun away from him and tossed it to the side. He seemed a bit relieved to be rid of the killing weapon. It was better this way. A gun never fit in Suzaku's hand the way it fit in mine. I stroked his cheek with my gloved fingers. "But it doesn't matter if Zero is a coward." I said, leaning in closer. "It doesn't matter how evil or corrupt Zero becomes." I released Suzaku and turned to Sawasaki. "It doesn't matter because Zero is a symbol, not a person." I rested my gun against Sawasaki's temple. Suzaku gasped.

"No, please! Zero-"

"And so when Zero does something like this…" I fired my gun. Sawasaki's body slumped to the floor, a pool of crimson spreading out from beneath him.

"…in the end, no one gets hurt."

There was absolute silence. Suzaku stared with his mouth slightly open at the dead body on the floor. When the blood reached the tips of his shoes, he fell to his knees. The red stream soaked the white material of his uniform. His voice cracked when he finally spoke.

"Tell me, Zero. Does that mask make you a god?" Suzaku gave a laugh. It was that sound that sent chills down my spine. "Just when I think I can understand you, you go and do things like this." He turned his emerald eyes to me. "What gives you the right to take away human life?" I seemed to have noticed just how furious he was a little too late. He grabbed me by the neck and wrapped his fingers tightly around my throat.

I was so frustrated I wanted to scream. Why couldn't Suzaku realize all that I did for him? Why couldn't he appreciate it? I wouldn't be in this goddamn building if I hadn't come to save his ass. I wouldn't have shot Sawasaki if I knew Suzaku wouldn't be tortured after doing it himself. I wouldn't have put on this ridiculous costume if I hadn't wanted to save his country. And yet he was so selfish. He thought he was all alone in the world. He thought that no one would care if he died.

I gasped for air, clawing uselessly at Suzaku's hands. Black spots began to appear in my vision and I felt dangerously close to fainting. Suddenly, I was released and I fell to the floor, coughing. Suzaku had me pinned to the ground a moment later. I couldn't find the strength to fight back. My eyes widened when he began to tear at my shirt.

"I'll show you fear, Zero. I'll show you who the scared one is around here." His knee was pressed between my legs and his shadow loomed over me. I gasped sharply as his nails raked over the bare skin of my chest, leaving behind stinging red lines, and in some places, drawing blood. Suzaku was panting. His hands stopped the abuse of my body and came to rest on the sides of my mask.

"You shared your secrets with me in that cave. I know you have feelings like the rest of us." Suzaku continued, his eyes searching. "I'll expose you for the human that you really are."

The mask came off

As I stared up at Suzaku with my naked eyes, I watched the angry, vengeful emotions on his face transform into complete shock. I refused to look away, but at the same time, I realized that I hadn't been ready to reveal myself to Suzaku.

Fortunately, we were spared the inconvenience of conversation. Two Britannian Knightmares blasted through the wall behind us. Suzaku looked over his shoulder as they began to roll toward us. I knew I had to leave, but I wondered if Suzaku would let me go. His green eyes were unreadable when they turned back to me. I began to slide out from underneath him. The hand that was still on my chest twitched but made no movement to grab me as I slipped out of its grasp.

And then I was running back to the Gawain, dodging the machine gun bullets of the two Britannian Knightmares. When I was just about to shut myself in the cockpit, I looked back. Suzaku stood there, his uniform still drenched in Sawasaki's blood. In his hands, he held my mask.

And I had a feeling that I had just lost my best friend.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

A/N: Yeah, no sex yet. If that's all you came for then I'm really sorry. It'd be great if you'd leave a review anyway.

Also i want to know who you think should top. Obviously, i prefer Suzaku but i want to know the opinion of the general population.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I plan to have this story loosely follow the original Code geass storyline for now, but eventually I'll probably have to break away from it. This chapter is a rewrite of episode 21 of Code Geass.

To my anons:

Shinigami Twin 04-You brought up some good points, but fear not. The incident with Euphemia doesn't happen until episodes 22 and 23, so therefore, the only reason that Suzaku has to hate Lelouch at this point would maybe be because he killed prince clovis. That's a bit of a stretch. All the other things that Zero has done for Suzaku have been good things.

Twilightpassion- I think we can all agree that you're the weird one for not wanting the sex. Lol. Nevertheless, Im glad I did something worthy of your praise.

Manyfreshteeth-agreed

Almighty remote control- A dress? Hmm… that might come in handy later.

Conceding to the request of one reviewer, I attempted to make this chapter a bit more humorous.

Suzaku's point of view

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

"Are you sure that you didn't see anything?"

"I'm positive, your highness."

It had to be most obvious lie on the face of the earth. We were back in the Tokyo settlement. I sat in a chair across from the large and organized desk of Second Prince Schneizel. Between us was the infamous mask.

I had thought about spilling all of Lelouch's secrets. I could take down Zero easily now. I had absolutely no reason not to share with Prince Schneizel his greatest adversary's true identity. But perhaps, that was exactly why I wanted to keep it to myself. I had a choice to make here in this office, a choice between the two things in which I placed very high values. The law…and comradeship. Not friendship. What Lelouch and I had was more…and at the same time, it was less.

Right now, Zero was completely at my mercy. Lelouch had nothing on me. Nothing to bribe me with. Nothing to blackmail me with. Nothing to threaten me with. All he had to depend on was my very personality. All he could do right now was trust me. I had power over Zero. It felt…invigorating.

The prince sighed heavily and continued to look at me with his cerulean eyes. Unlike Cornelia's, his eyes held kindness and compassion. They did not judge or discriminate.

"I guess it can't be helped." He said, his voice laced with disappointment. "However," Schneizel began, getting up from his chair and walking over to the window, "The next time that I question you about this matter, just know that I should …very**…** much like to know the face behind the disguise." I said nothing. I knew how to recognize a warning.

"You're dismissed." He said with a wave of his hand. "Take the mask with you and all evidence of this conversation will be effaced from any official records."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I seemed to have put off school long enough. Just the thought of returning to such normalcy frustrated me. Attending school, in my mind was a waste of time. There were bigger things happening in the world right now and for me as a soldier, a standard academic education was not the top priority.

Unfortunately, Lloyd and Cecile did not share my view.

The campus greeted me with a flurry of excitement. In my absence, I had completely forgotten about the approaching school festival. It was late morning and already the festival seemed to be in full swing. The grounds were covered in multicolored booths and people of all ages, both Britannian and eleven, were crowding the paths, eager to visit all the attractions the school had to offer.

"Suzaku!" I heard my name called and turned around to face a joyful Millay Ashford. "I'm so glad you're here." She tapped me on the head playfully with her clipboard. "You're needed in the kitchens." She handed me an apron, shoved me all the way to the building, and left before I could even begin to protest.

Needless to say, I didn't get to see much of the festivities. I was put to work chopping onions and from the size of the pile, I had a feeling that I would be in kitchen all day. It was Lelouch who saved me. I turned around when I heard the door open to see him talking on his headset and balancing a couple boxes of fireworks in one arm and matches and lighter fluid in the other.

"There you are, Suzaku. Did you forget that you're supposed to be helping put the pizza in the oven right now?" His eyes purposefully didn't meet mine. I noticed his neck. He had tried to pull up his collar high enough to cover everything, but the massive bruising was still visible. The deep purple blotches contrasted sharply with his pale skin. I still remembered what it was like to have my fingers wrapped around that neck. I also remembered what it was like to kiss that neck. Both gestures had been equally satisfying. Lelouch went back to talking to whoever was on the other line on the headset and motioned for me to follow him.

We walked to large dome-like structure that had been specially built for the pizza. By the time we had gotten there, Lelouch had finished his phone call and the second half of the walk had been in complete silence. We stood on the platform now and I waited for the signal to start up the ancient-looking knightmare.

The tension between us was almost tangible. It reminded me of the times when we were young. Sometimes he and I would get in a silly argument and both of us would want to apologize, but neither would want to go first.

But this was a little different. We weren't boys any longer. And not one of us was sorry.

Lelouch stole a glance at me, as if he were daring me to bring up the issue that poisoned our relationship. I watched his eyes turn to my bag. I realized that I had not zippered it all the way and its contents were on the verge of falling out. On top of everything was Zero's ominous mask. Lelouch's breathing quickened. I could tell he wanted that mask. It had his fingerprints on it, his hair, his saliva, many things that could connect Lelouch Lamperouge to Zero. And after that, Lelouch Lamperouge to Lelouch Vi Britannia. I vaguely wondered which one he was more frightened of.

Suddenly, Lelouch lunged for the mask. I spun around so that he could not reach it. We scuffled briefly and then the bag was knocked from my grasp. It fell. We watched it tumble in the air and land below us, on the surface of the world's biggest uncooked pizza. We stared at it among the mess of cheese, sauce, my school books and some of Lelouch's fireworks.

And then Lelouch jumped. So did I.

Sauce was flying everywhere as Lelouch and I rolled around in it, fighting tooth and nail for that stupid piece of plastic. In a matter of seconds, we were covered in pizza topping.

Lelouch got a hold of the mask. I ran after him, but slipped and fell. On the way down, I grabbed his ankle and took him with me. He landed face first and the mask rolled out of his hand. I got up to take it, but Lelouch took a handful of my hair pulled me back. I aimed a kick at him. He dodged it and tackled me. Then, for a moment, neither of us moved. As I lay there panting, I could feel the rapid rise and fall of Lelouch's chest against my back. His breathing against my neck.

And then we were fighting again. Lelouch twisted my arm around behind me. I rolled us over. Lelouch's amethyst eyes flashed angrily. He kneed me in the crotch and I released him. He must have felt how hard I was. I pushed my embarrassment aside and willed myself not to think about how appealing Lelouch looked with his school uniformed sticking to his slender frame and his face flushed from physical exertion. If my mind hadn't always been so damn honest with me, perhaps it would've better obscured the fact that this brawl was only an excuse for me to put my hands on Lelouch's body, and at the same time, know with certainty how much I hated him at this moment. The mess that covered me wasn't the only thing making me feel dirty as Lelouch and I slipped around clumsily in the thick sauce, making desperate grabs for the little black mask.

"Whoa whoa! Hey! Lelouch, Suzaku! What are you doing? You're ruining the pizza!" It was Rivals's voice…amplified by a megaphone. Lelouch and I looked up. The walls of the dome had collapsed back to reveal to the gathering crowd the enormous pizza…and the two adolescents wrestling in it.

They all stared at us. We probably looked ridiculous, covered from head to toe in sauce and cheese, ready to claw each other's eyes out. Lelouch scrambled behind me in an attempt to hide himself from the cameras.

"What's this?" Rivals said suddenly. He bent down and pulled something from the mess.

It was the mask.

I heard Lelouch's breath catch in his throat. I could feel my heart pounding. We were rooted in place as Rivals cleared away the red tomato sauce. I flinched when Rivals laughed. He thrust his arm up in the air.

"Hey, did anyone lose their Zero mask?" He asked the crowd.

I'm sure, at this point, Lelouch must have been just as confused as me. Then, I looked out at all the people and saw that many of them had Zero masks. A few of them even had the entire costume. Then I saw the stall that was selling them.

"Alright, who thinks we should cook this pizza anyway?" Said Rivals. The crowd cheered. The old Ganymede roared to life. I guess they must have found a replacement pilot. "You two'd best get out of there unless you wanna get baked as well." Rivals commented in a singsong voice as the knightmare began pushing the pizza into the large oven that was built for no other purpose but to cook the thing.

Neither of us made a move to get out just yet. I brought my hand up to my face and wiped the sauce from my eyes. Behind me, Lelouch collapsed onto his back with a splatter and let out an exasperated sigh. I had to agree. How in the hell did we end up like this?

The pizza came to a halt inside the oven that was big enough to be a classroom. I slowly got out. I lifted my nose to the air and smelled gas. I began walking to the door, thinking it was probably best to get out now. Lelouch was still laying there. I wondered if he was just going to stay there and die. It would certainly solve **all** of my problems if he were gone. I was surprised when Lelouch suddenly jumped up.

"Suzaku! We can't let them light the burner!" Lelouch ran to me and grabbed my arm. I didn't see what the danger was. We were far enough away from the pizza now to not get hurt and with an oven this size, it would be a while before it got hot enough for the pizza to actually start baking. Then I heard a click.

"Too late." Said Lelouch. He pulled me through the door and started running. I didn't understand what was happening.

Then there was the explosion. I looked back and saw that it had happened inside the oven. Smoke began to fill the air and fire leapt up around the building. It took me a while to realize what had just occurred. Despite everything, I could not help but feel disheartened.

"…the pizza…" I said. "Everyone spent so much time on it."

"The fireworks…" moaned Lelouch. "I spent so much money on them."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I scrubbed brutally at my face until my skin turned pink. My attempt at ridding my face of any traces of pizza topping in time for work was rather futile. I had a feeling I wouldn't be completely clean again for some time. Scrutinizing myself in the mirror, I leaned in and straightened the collar of my military uniform. I shut off the faucet and my eyes wandered to Lelouch, who sat on the sink counter next to me staring blankly at the opposite wall.

We were in one of the men's bathrooms of Ashford academy, effectively hiding ourselves from the chaos outside. The blaring of emergency vehicles could be heard from the open window. Gone was the noise of the bustling crowd of the school festival. The air had been rid of the smoke but there was still a distinct smell of burnt pizza.

Silence hung in the air. I waited for Lelouch to say something, anything that might allow me an excuse to be angry. I wanted him to throw insults at me, or go off about the oppression of the Elevens, or maybe just blame me for wreaking the festival. Anything would do. Lelouch refused to indulge me.

I noticed the dried red paste still on his face and clothes. It looked a bit like blood, I mused. If Lelouch were to step out of the bathroom without people knowing the story they might jump to the conclusion that he had been horribly beaten.

It was true, in a way. I ignored the slight pang of guilt and took a clean rag from the pile. I wet the corner with some warm water and walked over to Lelouch. He did not flinch as I gently began to clean the grime from his face. His eyes fell shut after a moment as he sat there and let me move from his face to his neck, where I carefully avoided putting pressure on his bruises. He did nothing to encourage me or dissuade me so I continued my ministrations with the warm cloth.

I cursed Lelouch for his beauty. I had always been jealous of him, fascinated by him. The incredible lust I held for him gave me only another reason to hate him. I failed to notice how my breathing had become heavy, my hands had stopped cleansing and had reduced to touching, caressing. It wasn't long before my tongue had replaced the towel and my lips were latched onto Lelouch's neck. A small sound escaped from his throat but then he was silent again.

I pushed open the buttons of his shirt so that my hands could wander over his chest and shoulders. The angry red lines from my nails were still etched into his smooth skin. Evidence of the pain I caused him was all over his body. Lelouch let out a small gasp as my fingers brushed over his sensitive nipples. I liked it when he made noises. I put my hands on his thighs and forced myself in between. I grinded against him hard and let out a long breath after the wonderful friction.

I pushed Lelouch back so that he was reclined against the large mirror. My hands slid over the delicate curve of his hip. His head was turned away and his eyes refused to look at me. I wanted more. More of a reaction. I undid his pants and got down on my knees. Lelouch's fingers gripped the marble countertop tightly as I took his half hard erection into my mouth. His back arched and his body tensed.

"ngh…Suzaku-" His voice wasn't at all tender like the previous time I had pleasured him. It was a pleading, apprehensive little whisper.

His legs were shaking as I brought him as deep into my throat as I could. His body wanted me. I wanted him. But then Lelouch's trembling hands were pushing me away and he whimpered for me to stop. He was panting heavily with his eyes still refusing to meet mine.

"Why…are you doing this to me, Suzaku?" he whispered in a small voice. "I know things can't go back to the way they were, so why don't you just be angry with me like I predicted you would." He brought a hand up to his face and covered his eyes as if I were ridiculing him. "I don't understand. If you're not going to turn me in then is this what you are going to demand in exchange…my…my body?"

I was shocked. Because Lelouch had suggested that I what I had just done could be considered rape. Kururugi Suzaku did not commit such crimes. But was it true? This act certainly wasn't one of love between Lelouch and me. It was decidedly more sinister. An act of me proving my dominance over Zero. An act of me refusing to submit to any more of his mind games.

I had done it all subconsciously…and it made me sick.

When I stood up, Lelouch finally turned his amethyst eyes to me, studying me warily, waiting for a response, waiting for me to deny my actions.

"You're fair game as long as you continue to wear the mask." I told him. I began to walk toward the door. "Had you never revealed yourself to me in Kyushu, things might have been different."

"Yes." Lelouch said, laughing suddenly at some twisted form of irony. "If I'd never shown you Zero's face, you would be confessing your love to me at this moment."

Now I was angry. I slammed the door, and as I stormed down the hall, I noticed how the echo of Lelouch's laughter in the empty school sounded eerily similar to crying.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Yes, I did do research on ovens to see if my plot device was possible.

Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: A big thanks to SoulSister for getting rid of my writer's block

Rewrite of episode 22 of Code Geass (sort of)

Lelouch's point of view (mostly).

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

_The lazy drone of the cicadas could be heard in the muggy air of the late Japanese summer. A field of sunflowers swayed in the small breeze with vibrant yellow petals basking in the generous light of the afternoon sun. Laughter filled the open field as two young boys waded through the waist high grass, their clothes stained green, and their legs sore from running under the weight of their heavy schoolbags. _

"_Come on, Suzaku." Whined the boy with the dark hair as he pulled the other along in his wake._

"_Where are we going, Lelouch?" asked the Japanese boy, looking behind to see if anyone else was around. "We'll be late for dinner." The one named Lelouch answered him by pulling him behind a patch of sunflowers and kissing him fervently. He was smiling when they broke apart for air._

"_This is the only time we can be alone together." The Britannian boy said breathlessly._

"_Lelouch." Suzaku replied, his eyes downcast. "Don't you ever feel like maybe we're getting to old for this kind of thing?" Lelouch wrapped his arms loosely around Suzaku's neck and leaned in close._

"_And what, exactly, is "this kind of thing"?" He whispered in a voice that caused a relatively new feeling to burn in Suzaku's lower body. He blushed._

"_I don't know." He answered, shifting uncomfortably. "Playing?" he suggested, "Wasting time?" Lelouch laughed in response and pressed his hot body up against Suzaku's. Helplessly, Suzaku let out a constricted sigh, heat rising in his cheeks. He bit his lip and his hands settled on Lelouch's shoulders._

"_Let's give it a new name, then. A more grown-up name." Lelouch offered. "How about "Loving"?"_

"_We're not that grown up." Scoffed Suzaku. Then his blush returned. "We don't know how to…Love." The Britannian boy was not to be deterred. He began undoing the buttons of his best friend's school uniform. Suzaku shivered as fingers lightly grazed his bare skin._

"_We won't know until we've tried." Lelouch unbuttoned his own uniform and placed Suzaku's hand on his chest. "It will be an adventure for us." He captured Suzaku's lips in his own. "We'll go farther than we've ever gone before." Suzaku returned the kiss hungrily and soon they were both lying on the dirt floor, gasping for breath. Two boys acting upon their newly discovered lust and hardly grasping the gravity of what they were doing. "Let's pretend that I am king of the universe…" Lelouch continued, straddling his friend and sucking his neck. He paused to look up at Suzaku with mischievous eyes, "And you are my lovely queen." Suzaku sat up and pushed the boy off him playfully, his confidence renewed. _

"_The only thing that you could ever be king of is chess." Said Suzaku. Lelouch pouted and attempted to slide his hand into Suzaku's overly-tight underwear. Suzaku grabbed the appendage and used his free hand to tip Lelouch's chin up. "How about I be a brave and valiant knight and you be my fair princess?"_

"_That works too." The dark haired boy laughed and reached up for another, softer kiss._

_Suzaku…_

"Lelouch!"

I was jolted from my very explicit memory at the sound of Nunally's soft voice calling my name. For a split second I found myself thankful that my sister wouldn't be able to see my shameless blushing.

"I think I can hear the water boiling." She said, pointing in the direction of the stove.

"Oh thanks." I went to turn down the heat and returned to the cutting board to finish chopping vegetables. "Is there any reason why we are making such a big dinner? Since Sayoko isn't here, wouldn't it be easier if we just ordered pizza?" I asked. Nunally smiled.

"We are celebrating Euphie's plan for the Special Administrative Zone of Japan, of course." She replied. I frowned but did not voice my opinion. For Lelouch Lamperouge and all the other countless naïve Britannians of Area 11, I would play the part.

"And I hope you don't mind," Nunally continued, "But I invited Suzaku over tonight."

Ouch. The knife slipped. I hissed as the sharp blade cut into the index finger of my other hand. Droplets of red dotted the cutting board.

"That's great." I lied, my voice smooth as ever. Nunally wheeled over and gently put a hand on my arm.

"Did something happen?" she said, "Are you two in a fight? You can tell me about it."

"Of course not." I laughed. "Everything is fine."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Everything was not fine, that much was clear. I didn't see how the dinner could be any worse. For the first time I actually despised Nunally's need to play peacemaker. Suzaku and I didn't speak to each other, only answering if Nunally asked us a question. We sat stiffly in our chairs and I wondered if perhaps she regretted inviting Suzaku for dinner, as I was certain she could feel the awkwardness in the air during the lapses in conversation.

After eating, Nunally decided that she was tired. I helped her into bed, taking my time in hopes that when I returned to the dining room, Suzaku would have shown himself out the door. He didn't. He was still sitting there with his arms crossed when I entered the room. He wanted to talk.

"Just out of curiosity," I began in an acidic whisper, quiet enough so that Nunally wouldn't hear if she were still awake, "Was it your idea? This Special Zone of Japan?"

"Does it matter?" Said Suzaku, standing up, immediately defensive. My eyes narrowed.

"You're a fool, Suzaku. A FOOL, if you think this will work." I growled. "Don't you think that I'd have suggested this first if I considered it an easier solution?"

"Frankly, Lelouch, once you've been made the enemy, it won't matter what you think anymore." He answered in a tired manner. I recoiled. So that was it? Maybe Suzaku didn't care about the Japanese people. Maybe this "Special Zone" had been created for the mere purpose of neutralizing me. It had worked. I was ruined no matter what I chose to do from now on.

"You think you're so goddamn righteous." I spat in his face. "If only people knew the truth about you. A conniving, power-hungry bastard. You're the very essence of the Britannians that you once claimed to hate so much."

This was how it was played now. Suzaku, with his lofty ideals, against my cold, hard logic. Sometimes, he could not ignore me. I watched him clench his fists at his sides.

"What about you?" He said, the fire in his emerald eyes evident. "You have a chance for a free Japan; what you've been fighting for all this time. Will you become the enemy of peace because of your own stubbornness?" His voice became softer. "What about the promise you made to me?" He added. "By the hand of Kururugi Suzaku or Zero…"He quoted. He grabbed hold of my collar suddenly. I cringed as my shirt tightened around my bruised neck. "Well it's _my_ hand that can do it now."

Our faces were close. Goosebumps had formed on my skin from whatever unidentifiable emotion that combined fear, anxiety, and anticipation.

"You weren't lying, back on that island. You wanted for us to be together." Suzaku said. "Is your mask really so important that you are willing to give up Japan?" His eyes searched mine, worn and frustrated. "…us?" he added.

What 'us'? I wondered. How could there be a chance of that anymore. Didn't he realize who we were?

Suzaku pulled me close so that our chests were pressed against each other. He closed his eyes, breathing softly. My hands, which hung uselessly at my sides, longed to touch him.

"Can't you step down, just this once? For me?" He asked, his lips brushing the skin of my ear after his whispered words. I shivered involuntarily, letting his knee slide between my thighs.

Suzaku was being sincere but I couldn't help but feel that we no longer talking about the SAZ. In my mind, I was a kid again. I was taken back to that afternoon with Suzaku, in the seclusion of the tall sunflowers. My body was hot and aching with want, beads of perspiration sliding down my flushed face, my breathing, erratic.

"_Can't you just…surrender?"_

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

All eyes were on me. Whether it be from the stands below, the chairs onstage, the television set at the office or on the street, the entire world was watching my grand entrance. The wind whipped through my dark clothes, cold from the altitude. My hand rested against the surface of the Gawain to steady myself as we made the descent.

My eyes picked out Suzaku as the Gawain landed on the stage. He had dressed nice for the occasion, the fancy clothes suiting him perfectly and making him look every bit the part of a knight. The smile he wore was the only honest one.

Euphemia stood, her arms held out in a hospitable way, as she welcomed me to the Special Zone of Japan. As I stepped down, I felt the small, plastic needle gun at my side. My mind, in an unusual storm of emotion, had told me to bring it, but not exactly what I would be doing with it. I was not used to being cornered. Not used to defeat.

"Euphemia de Britannia, I wish to have a word with you."

Only when we were finally alone together, did I remove my mask. I wanted Euphemia to know my true identity. I wanted to give her the opportunity to hate me. Looking upon my face, she didn't seem surprised. She had already guessed that I was Zero. I handed her the needle gun. I asked if she would still accept me, knowing that I was the one who killed Clovis, knowing that I had murdered countless Britannians and Japanese alike in order to get where I was standing now.

She didn't care. Unlike Suzaku's black and white world, my world in shades of grey, or our father's world of black, Euphie's world was entirely white. Her love was unconditional. Her ability to forgive extended to everyone.

I asked her why she was doing this. She said it was for me and for Nunally. So that we wouldn't have to hide anymore.

That was when I knew that Zero could die peacefully. I could place all the lives of Zero's followers in the loving hands of Euphemia. I could rid myself of this burden of trying to take over the world.

But that was when my left eye began to burn. Things suddenly went horribly wrong.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I ran. My legs, hardly built for such running, seemed to be moving in slow motion. Everything seemed to have slowed down. It was as if my vision had turned red. Red was on the walls surrounding me, in the air, on my clothes, pooling around my feet. The screams of the dying Japanese and the blasts of machine gun fire were only the background noise to the deafening sound of my heart pounding in my ears.

My geass had caused this…

When I stopped for a moment, an elderly woman grabbed the hem of my cloak, clawing desperately at me. My eyes stared in shock as the horrible image of her bloody fingers and maimed body was imbedded into my mind.

"Zero…Savior of Japan…" she croaked weakly. "You are our last hope."

"No." I breathed, taking a step back. "I am no savior. Don't ask me to save you." I turned around and fled, the soles of my shoes leaving bloody footprints on the concrete.

This wasn't how today was supposed to happen. Zero was supposed to die today. Lelouch Lamperouge was supposed to live the rest of his perfect life without ever having to use the power of his geass again. But now my eye burned intensely, the pain, a constant reminder of the curse I carried and the destruction I had wrought.

Knightmares occasionally fired at me, but otherwise paid me no heed and returned to the slaughter at hand. Zero had been forgotten in the chaos. The Black Knights had joined the fight. I hadn't given them orders, but they thought they knew what I wanted. To them, it would have looked like I'd just performed some kind of sick miracle.

C.C. was nowhere to be found when I reached the Gawain. I looked up as the Lancelot soared over my head. Suzaku was still alive. Panic overcame me when I realized that he was looking for Euphemia. I had to find her before Suzaku did.

When I located the Lancelot again, it was sitting, empty. I landed the Gawain and lowered myself from the cockpit. On the ground a few yards away, Suzaku was kneeling. One of his hands was clutching a gushing wound on his side. The other pointed a gun. My eyes followed the direction he was pointing. Euphemia stood facing him, her loaded weapon aimed at her own knight.

My worst fears had been realized.

Their eyes glowed red as they looked at each other. Their hands were shaking as they fought with all their might against their geasses. They were powerless against the invisible force that had enslaved them and pitted them against each other. Euphie's geass had activated the moment she had seen Suzaku's handsome Japanese face. Suzaku's had been triggered by the threat of Euphie's gun.

Tears stained their cheeks, blood stained their clothes, but as my pleas to them fell on deaf ears, I realized that the most helpless one was me. The spectator. The unwilling puppet master who had carelessly tangled the strings and lost control.

Was this about to be how I would atone for my sins?

I was Zero. I could do anything.

As Euphemia let a shot loose, and as Suzaku pulled his trigger in response…

…I was standing in the crossfire.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Please review. I will love you forever. Well maybe not. No one wants to look like a review whore, right?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: To my anons:

Catof'thaDune88- me too! And it really pissed me off. I'm such a hypocrite.

Shinigami Twin 04- Your reviews blow me away, they really do. And they make me blush. I'm afraid that if you go back and analyze this fic too much you are going to find all of my mistakes (I dont even know if I have any but I'm sure a person like you would be able to find them). You give my humble fanfiction more praise than it deserves. About the Lelouch/Euphie thing, it's more of a sibling love. You can probably see that I'm into incest, but I only like it if its yaoi.

Rewrite of episode 23ish of Code Geass

Suzaku's point of view.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I didn't understand what was happening.

I was hardly aware of the pain in my side. My hands were trembling as I placed them on the lifeless body before me. I shook the shoulders gently, as if the person were only asleep and I was here to merely wake them from their slumber. I wasn't breathing anymore. Maybe a person didn't need to breathe to be alive. My vision had blurred.

"Euphie..." I whimpered, dissolving into a fit of sobs. I tore at my brown hair, wailing to the heavens in agony. This had to be a joke. It was impossible that something like this could have happened. The light had gone from her eyes. The bullet that had caused her death was embedded in her skull.

It had been fired by my gun.

I whirled around. Zero was lying on the ground, a pool of crimson spreading rapidly around his body. Angry tears spilled from my eyes.

I had lost my princess, but I would not lose my prince.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Cecile and Lloyd were running down the hall just as the elevator doors opened. The sight of me, I supposed, must have been quite gruesome. Cecile let out a gasp of shock and horror. Lloyd's eyes went wide.

"Please…" I cried, clutching the body to me and feeling the warm blood running down my front and dripping onto the floor. "Please, save Zero!"

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I could see the hesitation in their eyes.

As I entered the operating room alongside the stretcher, the group of surgeons and assistants stood frozen. Terror had settled on their faces the moment they had recognized their next patient. A group of highly qualified Britannian doctors, they were uncertain about what to do when the greatest enemy to their country was suddenly in critical condition upon their operating table.

"No." One of them flat-out refused. The others looked to be of a similar mind. At the moment, though, I could not care less about their predicament. All I knew was that the clock was ticking and my best friend, my rival, my lover, were all dying. I ripped my gun back out of its holster.

"You WILL save him!" I commanded. My voice was close to hysterics. My hands shook as I gripped the empty weapon. My eyes were wide, crazed, wet.

They were forced into action. Immediately, they set to work. The machines were hooked up, the surgical tools were passed around. Zero's glove was taken off and his sleeve was rolled up so that an IV could be inserted. The surgeons began shouting at each other in the complex Latin language of medicine that only professionals spoke.

One man went to remove the mask. I slapped his hand away.

"The mask stays on!" I growled, determined to preserve Zero's dignity. Fear and annoyance flashed through the man's eyes briefly before they were replaced once again with the detached, objective expression of a doctor with a job to do.

"Stand aside, _Sir._" He snarled at me. "Unless you want to watch as he drowns in his own blood."

There was nothing I could do. Everyone else had paused what they were doing to observe. They couldn't resist. Their natural curiosity disgusted me. The room held its breath.

The mask was removed carefully from his face. His head fell back onto the sterile sheets, his dark hair fanning out beneath. His flawless skin was white. Sickly white. His lips were parted and colored bright red from the blood that gurgled back in his throat and trickled out as he tried, desperately, to draw in air. He was conscious, but barely. Sweat glistened on his forehead and he trembled as intense spasms of pain tore through his body. He looked like a porcelain doll. So beautiful, but so tragic.

"Christ…" Someone muttered in the stunned silence. "He's only a boy."

"No. This…Britannian? I can't believe it." Murmured another in half awe, half revulsion.

The face of an innocent adolescent did nothing but add to the traumatizing and grisly scene. The stillness was broken by the alarming beeping of the heart monitor. There was a flurry of movement and apprehensiveness once again. But there was motivation now. There was _emotion_. The life of a masked terrorist was no longer on the line. Instead it was the life of a boy. He could have been someone's son. He could have attended school. He'd hardly lived a full life. And that made the stakes so much higher.

"His blood pressure is dropping."

"Someone get him a goddamn breathing tube!"

Lelouch came alive suddenly, struggling fiercely as the clear plastic tube was shoved down his throat.

"Hold him down."

I stepped forward at this point, needing to do something. I held Lelouch's arm. A needle injected something and after a few minutes, Lelouch's thrashing lessened and he stopped trying to pull out the tube. His eyes, which had begun to cloud over with drowsiness, found mine. He relaxed, perhaps realizing that he was safe. His mouth opened and closed without sound. His lips formed the syllables of my name. He continued to gaze at me with his amethyst eyes until they became too heavy to hold open and he finally succumbed to the drug.

"He's going to need a blood transfusion." One of the surgeons commented, wiping his brow. I was already prepared for this.

"I'm O negative." I said, extending my bare arm.

As I sat there, with blood draining from my body at an uncomfortable rate, I drifted off without noticing.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I was in a bed when I awoke. Bandages covered my side. I figured that I must have passed out as I was giving blood and someone had stitched me up while I was unconscious. I had been moved to my own room. The television in the corner was showing the news. A quick glance at the images onscreen was all that was needed to remind me of the ongoing battle. The Black Knights had taken the SAZ and the TV stations were all playing the same broadcast of them swearing revenge against Euphemia and the Britannian government.

"Euphie…" I whispered to myself. "Why?" The memory was strangely fuzzy. One moment I was running to her and the next she was lying on the ground, dead. Faceless people on the battlefield had one purpose and it was to die. I knew from the moment that I became an honorary Britannian and joined the army that I would live the life of a murderer. But this…

I deserved to die. I was despicable. I wrapped my arms around myself, my nails digging into my arms painfully. "Why wasn't I able to stop myself from firing that gun?"

"Shall I tell you?" Said a small voice. I looked up suddenly. A child stood just inside the door of the room. He was Britannian and his clothes spoke of wealth. He had blonde hair that was longer than his own body. I wondered why a child was on the Avalon.

"It's nice to meet you, Kururugi Suzaku. My name is V.V." The way he addressed me sent chills down my spine. His voice, although boyish, sounded much older than he looked. He gazed at me with his large eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a knowing smirk. Something about him was off. I waited for him to keep speaking.

"Geass." He said. "Zero possesses a supernatural power called Geass."

"Impossible." Maybe he was just some crazy kid.

"Then how do you explain what happened to Euphemia? Or you?" V.V. asked. "Neither of you can be blamed for your actions. Zero's geass, "To be obeyed", makes it so that a person must follow whatever command he gives them." All of this sounded crazy to me. I wasn't the type of person to trust in such fantasies, but I couldn't deny that what he said made sense. All the pieces would fall into place. Euphie's sudden desire for Japanese blood, my sudden cowardliness and disobedience on Shikine Island, Euphie's murder, all the things that have happened could be explained by this. A welcome scapegoat. So I believed.

"How can this 'Geass' be stopped?" I said after a moment. V.V. smiled wide, as if he had expected that I would ask that question.

"The Geass user must be killed." He answered. My hands clenched and I bowed my head. V.V. must have also known that I wouldn't like his response. He continued, "But there is another way to neutralize it. Every human being has a Geass ability, but the only way to activate it is to make a contract with a Code bearer." His eyes flashed red for a second. He stepped closer.

"Kururugi Suzaku, would you like to know what your Geass is?"

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

My suspicion grew as I stormed down the quiet hall toward the room where I knew Lelouch was being kept. When I reached the door, it slid open for me.

The bed was empty.

I grabbed a nurse walking by. She shrieked.

"Where's Zero?" I demanded. She looked confused and frightened. "Where is the person that was just operated on?!" The poor woman looked close to tears as I yelled in her face.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about, Sir Kururugi." She cried. "There hasn't been anyone in this room today." Was she stupid? There were bloody scalpels in a tray next to the bed. I looked into her Geass-possessed eyes and realized.

"Damnit!" I swore, letting go of her and running back out of the room.

The Avalon wasn't all that big of a ship and Lelouch couldn't have gotten far. Not with those wounds. It wasn't long before I spotted something on the tile. A drop of red. I followed the trail, the amount of blood on the floor increasing as I continued on.

I was led back to the section of the Avalon where the Lancelot was kept. Lelouch must have watched the way we came from when I'd first brought him in. He was leaning against the Knightmare, breathing heavily, the bandages wrapped around his thin chest already soaked. His mask was clutched in one hand. Even with my furious glare upon him, it was a few minutes before he noticed me.

"It's nothing personal." He panted, as if the mere attempted theft of the Lancelot was what had caused my fury. "Cornelia, Schneizel…they'll come for me…if I stay here." He closed his eyes, as if the effort of talking had left him drained. His knees buckled underneath him and he slid to the ground, leaving a bloody streak down the white armor of the Lancelot. He let out a small chuckle. "It's really a shame…that this is… as far as I'm going to get."

I hated Lelouch so much right now that I couldn't even express the emotion on my face. I hated him because I couldn't hate him while he was like this. Helpless and bleeding. As Lelouch sat there fearing for his life, somehow, my lust for revenge and my anger at him didn't seem nearly as important. Right now, he couldn't possibly know the pain in my heart. He didn't know that he was beyond forgiveness. That made me angrier. I walked over to him.

"What are you going to do with me?" Asked Lelouch as I stood over him. He might have been scared, but he had no strength left to show it. Slowly I bent down and collected him in my arms, gently as my current state of mind would allow. I lifted both of us into the Lancelot and started it.

"Suzaku…" breathed Lelouch. It was the same tired, relieved voice that had been whispered quietly in that cave after our lovemaking. It seemed so long ago. It seemed like it had been someone else's life.

It was a tight fit for the both of us, but not an uncomfortable one. Lelouch was lying across my lap. I held his head to my chest, my fingers knotted in his bloody, matted hair. His shaky breathing was the only sound in the small compartment. Warm liquid was seeping into my clothes from the body pressed close to me. It was stirring to know that Lelouch's blood wasn't just Lelouch's blood anymore. It was my blood too.

"Lancelot, you do not have clearance to launch, I repeat, you do NOT have clearance to launch."

"Kururigi, what do you think you are doing?"

Silence ensued after I disabled all communications. My lips twitched into a smile. Once again, thanks to Lelouch, I would have to go against orders.

Although, this time it was my own choice.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I seem to have a fascination with blood don't I? Why doesn't the English language have another word for "blood"? Seriously, I felt like I used that word way to much in this chapter.

Anyway, please review.


	5. Chapter 5

To my anons:

Shinigami twin 04- There are so many things that i wish to respond to in your reviews but you dont have an account so i have to finish a chapter before i can talk back to you. You're like santa clause, leaving me presents and then just disappearing. (or a rapist. but santa sounds nicer) Anyway I cant fucking stand Suzaku. he was so anoying in the anime so i tried to make him alot cooler. Its not that i have a sudden love for the Suzaku/Lelouch pairing, I just like reviews. Glad you liked the OR scene. Im not a fan of house or grey's anatomy, though. Daddy just happens to be a surgeon. I don't know if Suzaku is type O or not. He is in this story. It just sounds perfect.

**Sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than usual but ****I have a present for all of you**** anyway. I made a humorous little Code Geass amv and put it on youtube. It's Lelouch singing "Circus" by Britney Spears. Now I'm not the best movie maker/editor but I do think that it is pretty good. The lip-synching part was a bitch to do. So check it out when you finish reading or whatever. The link is in my profile.  
**

This story is hardly a rewrite anymore, but this chapter takes place during the time of episode 24ish of Code Geass.

Lelouch's point of view

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

In. Out. In. Out. Breathing was a chore. My chest was on fire and the pain was near unbearable. I kept wishing that I could just drift out of consciousness and leave all the pain behind. Never mind the battle raging on for Japan that I had initiated. I was here with Suzaku. Nothing was wrong. I could die like this. I was the happiest that I had been in eight years. But then again, it could have been my drugged-up brain that was telling me this.

We flew over the magnificent metropolis that was Tokyo. It was all collapsing before us. Built to be earthquake-resistant, the settlement would come tumbling down if the outer supports were destroyed. The Britannian armies would fall one by one to their deaths and become buried in the rubble. I smiled. All according to plan. Suzaku's eyes gazed in awe at the scene, but I guess he didn't feel like commenting on my incredible genius.

"Where is your command center?" Suzaku asked.

"Ashford Academy." I answered. Suzaku's lips were set in a thin line. I don't think he was happy with that. Well I wasn't thinking too much at all at that moment so it's possible that I could have misread his facial expression. "It has a very strategic location." I continued. It hurt like hell to talk. God, I was so tired. I wanted to shut my eyes…just for a minute.

"Don't you dare close your eyes, you sonofabitch!" Suzaku ordered, giving me a shake. I could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

"Idiot…I'm not going anywhere. Besides, when I do go, I'm taking you with me." I replied. Suzaku let out a sadistic chuckle.

"If you are referring to Hell, then I think we are already there." He said sourly.

"Perhaps, but whereas I have always been a demon, you are just a fallen angel."

The Lancelot's combat systems activated when we reached the territory already conquered by my Black Knights. Now would come the opposition. Suzaku needed both of his hands to man the controls. I sighed when he removed the fingers tangled in my hair so that he would be able to draw the Lancelot's sword. I was so selfish sometimes.

"Are you going to cut down my own troops right in front of me?" I said. Suzaku didn't even answer. We both knew that it was the only way that the Lancelot would get in. "There is nothing I can do to stop you is there?" Suzaku bowed his head after hearing my words. "…It's because of me that you are like this."

"Lelouch," Suzaku growled as he fought through my well constructed defenses, knightmare after knightmare falling to his sword, "Do us both a service, and shut up."

I was sort of sick of Suzaku ordering me around. There were times when my arrogance flared, and my childhood prejudices returned. I was a Britannian prince. Suzaku was just an eleven. I was beyond intelligent and good looking. I had more merit to all three of my names than Kururugi Suzaku did to his one. Why should he deserve my respect? I didn't have to take this subjugation from a man whom society had deemed inferior. So how on earth had this all happened? This man that was holding me now…I had shown him my face, my true feelings, my body. That's right. He had seen me vulnerable, helpless, and out of control. This eleven knew me in the most intimate of ways. Both mentally and physically.

I suddenly realized that Suzaku would be the only person that I would ever allow to know such things and still be alive. I realized that he was still a human made of fragile flesh and blood. If something were to happen to him…I would be completely and utterly _lost_.

"Stop fighting, Suzaku. Let's leave." I pleaded. "We can run away and no one has to ever know who we are…what we've done." I cried. Suzaku's expression hardened. His green eyes burned with rage and frustration. When he spoke it was through gritted teeth.

"How dare you speak of such a thing now? Eight years ago, it might have been possible, but now…" Suzaku's shoulders were shaking with fury. "We've become responsible for the fate of the world."

He was right. It was a horrible, sad truth, but I needed to hear the words for myself. There was no logical reason for us to be together. There was too much hatred between our respective sides. We were caught up in something that had become unstoppable. The black king and the white queen could not simply disappear off of the chessboard and still have the match continue.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

It was time for me to put my game face back on. This momentary cease-fire between Suzaku and I had been wonderful, but short lived.

The Lancelot sat motionless upon the lawn of Ashford Academy, the artillery of my army pointed at us and the soldiers demanding that Suzaku come out. The Geffian Disturber had stopped all functions of the knightmare. I couldn't pretend that I was sorry.

"Come now, Suzaku. You didn't even think that I might have a trap laid out for you should you think to take over my command center? You should give yourself more credit. You are, in fact, one of my most dangerous foes. I had to be ready."

Suzaku had gotten so angry that he'd thrown me off of his lap and onto the control panel of the Lancelot. My reopened wounds were dripping blood onto the various buttons and switches. Suzaku hovered above me in the small compartment, our bodies not quite touching. I could still feel the heat off of his skin and the beat of his heart.

"Lelouch." He breathed onto my face. "Have you ever hated someone so much that you wanted to kill them?"

"What a stupid question. Of course."

"I didn't think it was possible for me to feel that way. Because unless I was following orders, it would just be murder." Suzaku leaned over me. Now our chests were pressed together. My breath hitched and I let out a grunt of pain. Suzaku's lips were right above mine. He wanted so badly to hurt me…And to kiss me.

"Is the person that you want to kill in this knightmare with you right now?" I said in a whisper.

"He is."

"Am I him?" I asked weakly. My tongue darted out to lick my dry lips. If I had the strength to lift my head, my lips might be locked with Suzaku's at this moment.

"No." Suzaku growled. His eyes searched mine for a while before he got off of me and reached behind the seat. I closed my eyes.

I said nothing as I felt Suzaku's hand return and place something over my face. When I opened my eyes again I was looking up at Suzaku through the tinted lens of the mask. It made the dark inside of the Lancelot even darker and I could barely see his face.

"Now, it's you." He breathed quietly. There was silence for a few minutes.

Suzaku suddenly grabbed me and opened the cockpit. We were flooded by the lights of Ashford Academy.

"About time…" I heard Tamaki's uncouth voice yell. "Get out here so I can see your face when I shoot you, ya filthy turncoat." I felt Suzaku wrap an arm around me. He stood up, hoisting me to my feet as well. I didn't have the strength to struggle even though I knew the tables were about to turn.

"NOBODY MOVE!" He shouted. A gun was pressed against my temple. Gasps of alarm sounded from the surrounding militia after they recognized that their leader had been taken hostage. My head was spinning and I was beginning to feel dizzy. I leaned heavily on my captor.

"Put down your weapons. ALL OF YOU!" Cried Suzaku. Really! I may be down, but not out.

"Don't listen to him! Shoot him!" I shouted. "He's bluffing. He can't kill me." The Black Knights looked at each other in confusion.

"Zero…" Hissed Suzaku in my ear. "I've already shot you once today. What makes you think I won't do it again?" He turned his attention back to those watching.

"DO IT NOW!" He screamed, firing once into the air. My soldiers hesitated for a moment, but then finally laid their guns at their feet. People were so stupid sometimes. Their blind devotion to me was so great that it overrode direct orders.

"You're a monster, Suzaku." I said, quietly. It wasn't quite an insult. His lips quirked into a twisted smile.

A few minutes later, Kaname Ougi walked out of Ashford's doors.

"Zero." He said gravely, his eyes taking in my injuries. His eyes shifted to Suzaku, waiting for his demands. Suzaku could ask for anything right now. He would probably demand that all the students be set free. Maybe he would order all of the Black Knights to surrender and give up the battle for Japan. Surely Ougi wasn't stupid enough to agree to that, was he? I was quite certain that he didn't love me that much.

"First," began Suzaku, slowly, "I want you to disable the Geffian Disturber." Ougi gave a short nod. Suzaku waited until the glowing green lights had shut off. He turned back to Ougi.

"Second," He declared, "I want you to bring me the woman called C.C."

What? My eyes flew open. I knew that I had never spoken to Suzaku about C.C. How did he know her name? My heart began to race. Who told him? Whoever it was, could they also have told him about…no it couldn't be…

C.C. was led out of the building. She must have been commanding my forces in my absence.

"Let's make a trade." Suzaku called. He shoved me away from him, his gun still trained on my back. I staggered for a few steps and fell to my knees. C.C. walked past me without even looking at me.

"Very well." She said calmly. "I will go with you." I wanted to say something…anything. She strolled over to the Lancelot and got in on her own. Suzaku followed, walking backwards with his gun still pointed at me.

"Hear me, Zero. I'm making a promise to you now." Suzaku yelled. "I'm going to kill you, Zero. Before this is over, I'm going to kill you…and I'm going to save Lelouch." Suzaku used the cable to lift himself up to the cockpit. Before he got in, he looked at me one last time. His eyes were narrowed.

"And I think you'll find that this woman isn't the only thing that has been taken from you." He added. I watched his head of wavy brown hair disappear into the Lancelot. The knightmare started up a moment later. Its float system was activated and it lifted into the sky in one powerful burst of energy. Then they were gone.

I should have been angry that Suzaku had used me and that he had taken C.C., but I could only be angry with myself. I was the one that should have noticed. I should have realized the reason for his anger. He'd been so close to me in that knightmare. I saw his eye, but I didn't believe it.

I was still kneeling on the ground. Ougi had come up to me, asking me if I was alright, trying to tell me something else, calling for a doctor. I hardly heard a word that was said to me. I was too busy panicking.

…Because no matter what I tried, I could not get a single sound out of my mouth.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Please review


	6. Chapter 6

To my anons:

Catof'thaDune88- Bravo! Kudos to you for being one of the very few people that completely caught on! I'm so proud of you.

Asami-chan37- Thank you for your uplifting review. I'm terribly sorry for your addiction. Lol.

Shinigami Twin 04- Yes finals are a bitch (and I only know what high school finals are like. I'm assuming that they're worse in college). I am amazed that you actually had time to read a silly little fic like mine and leave an extensive analysis. Ok the doctors on the Avalon all were put under lelouch's geass and he made them forget everything. I thought that it would be implied after how Suzaku realized that the one nurse had forgotten about it but I guess I should have made that clearer. Although, that's not to say that everyone has forgotten that Zero was aboard the Avalon. I'm glad that you came along for the ride but just know that while you're sitting back in this limo, your driver is drunk and has no GPS.

Lickumz- God I love it when anonymous people review. It makes me so happy when unregistered people take the time out of their day to comment on a fic. Your review kinda opened my eyes. You're totally right about Lelouch caring more about Suzaku than Suzaku caring about Lelouch in the anime. This must have been what was pissing me off the whole time about Suzaku. Damn, Lelouch had it so much harder than Suzaku. He was always considering Suzaku while formulating his Zero plans. He was always protecting Suzaku. And Suzaku didn't ever care. Ugh anime Suzaku disgusts me. Sorry for my rant. Thank you for your wonderful review.

And a **HUGE** thanks to Neo Diji for pretty much being my unofficial beta. This chapter is as much hers as it is mine. Seriously, this chapter would never have gotten finished without her.

Alright, this chapter is going to be a little different and I'm going to be switching off between Lelouch and Suzaku telling the story. I'll let you know when it changes. I made this chap uber long for you people.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I was Zero, instigator of the rebellion, leader of the Black Knights.

They had all assumed that the reason I wasn't talking was because I had sustained some injury to my throat. I refused to let them look at it and sat quietly while they stitched my chest back together. During this, Tamaki burst into the room, yelling that Ougi had been shot. I learned that he had been speaking privately with a Britannian woman who he said was an informant. It was she who shot him. I wondered vaguely if Ougi had the same problem as me; a lover who happened to be an enemy. He always had such a strong desire for peace and he had been so eager to join the Special Zone of Japan when it was offered. Maybe it was because of that woman.

What a sad end men like Ougi and myself are fated to meet. The delicate balance of love and hate is so easily disrupted. Ougi and I were the naïve ones to think that we could keep it up forever…to think that there didn't have to be a winner.

They brought him in on a gurney a few minutes later. That's when I decided that there was no hope for us anymore. Because of Suzaku, my geass was now ineffective. I could not give out orders. C.C. had been taken. Now, Ougi had been shot. The only ones left were Toudou and Diethard. My time on the Avalon had informed me that Schneizel was on his way to Area 11 with a massive Britannian armada. My entire army was falling apart. There was no choice but for me to accept it. We were fighting a losing battle now.

I was a failure.

I slipped out of the room in the chaos. While my feet took a familiar path down the halls of the prestigious school, I took the glove off of my right hand and let it fall to the floor. Next came the left glove. I stumbled and grabbed the wall for support.

This costume…This identity had become cumbersome. I had to abandon it.

I steadied myself and tore off the black cape. It floated to the floor behind me as I resumed walking. I discarded all the outer layers of my bloodstained clothing and left them lying on the ground in my wake.

I reached the door to my room. This part of the campus was my home. I entered and pulled back my hand as I automatically reached for the lights. Zero deserved the darkness. I kept the lights off in my bedroom as well when I stepped through the door. In my closet, I blindly reached for my black school uniform and laid it out nicely on my bed while I stripped off the remnants of Zero. The fresh fabric was ironed and clean and I felt back in order as I straightened the collar and buttoned it. It felt almost as if it was just another day and I was getting ready for school.

The door of my bedroom slid open behind me. I whipped around only to face a frail girl seated in a wheelchair. My beloved sister, Nunally, gasped.

"Lelouch, is that you?" When I looked at her face, I remembered why I had decided to become Zero. Seeing her innocent, beautiful face made me realize just how corrupt I had become. I had lost sight of my goal. I mean, she was my Nunally. She was my everything. Not even my feelings for Suzaku could compare.

I reached out both of my hands and cupped her face. Oh right now I wished so much to tell her how greatly I loved her. "I want to know why you have been acting so strange, Lelouch." She began in a whisper. "I want to know where you have been going. Does any of this have to do with Suzaku? Haven't you two made up yet?" she asked softly. When I didn't answer, she put a delicate hand on my arm. "Lelouch…what's wrong?"

That's when another person barged into the room. It was Milly Ashford.

"Nunally! Thank goodness you are here. We've been searching everywhere for you-" she stopped when she noticed me, her eyes widened. "Lelouch! You're back…h-how?" She suddenly shook her head furiously. "We don't have time for this! This entire school is being evacuated. The Avalon is here…Zero has disappeared and the Black Knights are retreating. We have to go now!"

I knelt down in front of Nunally and had her climb onto my back. Her wheelchair would only slow us down. Then, the three of us were running through the halls of Ashford Academy. I passed numerous fleeing soldiers of the Black Rebellion. On my side. Yet I was running the same direction as my fellow classmates, towards safety. Towards Britannia. Had I been a better man, I might be running in the opposite direction, along with my loyal soldiers whom I had abandoned. Had I been a man like Suzaku.

We were herded onto the lift like frightened sheep. It was pathetic. I was at odds with myself over this foolish decision of mine. My wounds had reopened yet again from the strain of carrying my sister. I knew setting foot on the Avalon again was a bad idea. While I was sure that I had put every single one of the surgeons and nurses under my geass, there were still two other people aboard who had been in the operating room and had seen my true face.

Two massive threats.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I was Suzaku Kurururi, Honorary Britannian, personal knight of Princess Euphemia.

We sat in silence as I concentrated on operating the Lancelot. The sun was beginning to rise over the gray water of the ocean. The woman, C.C., was crouched behind my chair with her arms crossed over the top, and her long green hair was slipping forward onto my shoulder. She was completely relaxed, and it was unsettling.

"Would you care to tell me where you are taking me?"

"Kamine Island."

"I see. Did V.V. order it? Did you promise to bring me to him in exchange for receiving a geass?" I preferred not to answer her. The way she put it made it sound rather low, even for me. "You're losing it." she commented. I had the urge to slap her.

"What?"

"Just look at yourself. You're a mess." I didn't think she was talking about my clothes stained with Lelouch's blood. She giggled and gave a heavy sigh, as if I were some child throwing a temper tantrum and she now had to deal with it. "I've seen it all, you know." she continued. "The crazy things that people do when they're in love."

"I'm not in love." I denied.

"Then what would you call it?" she challenged. I hesitated. I knew there wasn't a word for what I was feeling.

"It's like having an obsession with fixing something that you know is beyond repair." I closed my eyes for a moment. "No. Perhaps it's not beyond repair. It's because I'm not strong enough." Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at C.C. "I want you to end your contract with Lelouch."

"As a geass user yourself, you should know that that is impossible." She replied calmly.

"Geass is an instrument of sin! Mankind should never be given such power!"

"And yet you took one on yourself."

"Someone once told me that you couldn't change the world without getting your hands dirty. I've come to accept that." Suzaku said, bowing his head.

"How contemptible of you." She smiled. I had nothing to say to that. It was the truth. We continued to sit in silence until the island finally came into view. When the Lancelot touched down on solid earth, all of the sudden a strange feeling vibrated through my body. I panicked instantly as my brain was overloaded with bizarre images.

"W-What is this?" I cried.

"Don't panic." C.C.'s voice spoke softly from within my mind. "This is a trap set for trespassers."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I was Lelouch Lamperouge, student of Ashford Academy, brother of Nunally Lamperouge.

"Oh my god, Lelouch, you're bleeding!" exclaimed Rivals loudly when he saw me "What on earth happened to you?" I opened my mouth, but then remembered I couldn't speak. "I'll go get help for you, Lelouch. Wait here."

_No. That idiot. I can't let him tell anyone about my injuries!_

"What seems to be the problem here?"

I was certain that if there was a god, he must hate me. All of the worst possible scenarios seemed to be playing out. I turned around, already knowing that there was no escaping the danger that I was in.

I stared up at the two people with narrowed eyes, daring them to say it. My heart was pounding rapidly. I stood in a group of my classmates, trying to blend in as much as possible, but it didn't matter anymore. Even in the same uniform as the people around me, I still stuck out like a sore thumb carrying my sister while blood was slowly seeping through my shirt.

"Those are some serious injuries. Wouldn't you agree, Cecile?" The bespectacled man in the white lab coat said to the woman beside him. She looked a bit nervous, but at the same time, I could feel her pity for me. The man, Lloyd, if I remembered his name correctly, smiled devilishly. "You wouldn't mind telling us how you received those injuries, would you?"

I snarled, hoping my eyes were enough to convey my utter hatred for them. If they wanted to, they could blow my cover right here. Right in front of the entire school. Right in front of my little sister.

"Now Now," chuckled Lloyd. "You don't have to get all defensive. An innocent schoolboy like you has nothing to hide, right?" Lloyd's assistant, Cecile took out a gun and pointed it at us. Some of the students nearby screamed and soon everyone was alerted to what was happening.

"If at all possible, we don't want to hurt you." Cecile said.

"Why don't you come with us…Lelouch…" Lloyd suggested.

They knew my name. Was it possible that they knew my last name as well? Nunally's arms tightened around my neck. I hiked my sister into a better position after taking a few steps to show that she was coming with me.

We left the room where all of Ashford's rescued students were being kept. Lloyd and his assistant were walking straight, but I knew that if I took the hallway that turned right, I would reach the hanger that housed all of the Avalon's knightmares. I stopped.

"Now, really. What good would escaping do you at this point? You won't even be able to stand for much longer." Lloyd said, turning around. The man looked as though he were enjoying taunting me. I was wasting time here. In my mind, I was simulating how far I could get if I made a break for it now.

"Please!" said Nunally suddenly, sensing my unease. "I don't know what you think my brother has done, but I believe that he only wishes to go after his dear friend, Suzaku. So please…let him go."

"Is that an order, Nunally vi Britannia?" Lloyd asked. Nunally was taken by surprise. She gasped softly. Cecile also gasped. She turned to Lloyd.

"Is it true then?"

"Of course it is. I recognized the eleventh prince, Lelouch vi Britannia, the moment I saw his face. He looks so much like Marianne the Flash."

"My brother and I have given up that name." Nunally stated. I noticed that Cecile was looking terribly conflicted. I was an enemy of Britannia, but I was also a prince of Britannia. She stepped forward and spoke to me.

"From when I met you at the festival, from all the things that Suzaku told us about you…I never would have imagined…"

_Imagined why I would become Zero? Stupid woman. I wouldn't expect you to understand._

"It must have been so hard for you." Cecile continued. "Against your father. Against your friends…" If this woman didn't shut up, I was going to kill her. "And Suzaku…" She looked as if she wanted to pull us into an embrace. I prayed that she had the decency to restrain herself.

"It was hard." said Nunally, "But my brother and I have each other. That is all that matters." She was right. She was right and she didn't even know what was really going on. Nunally was all that mattered. All that I needed in this world was Nunally.

Cecile looked like she had reached some sort of decision. She nodded and walked past us down the hall.

"Come with me." she said.

"Cecile! What on earth do you think you're doing?" The count cried. "Think of who we're dealing with!"

"Oh shut up. You want your Lancelot back, don't you?" she replied.

Once in the hanger, she led us to an old Sutherland that looked like it had been put together from spare parts. I was unimpressed. Cecile noticed my skeptical expression.

"It's nothing fancy and it has no float system, but we have given it aerial equipment. I'm sure it can get you to wherever you need to go." she said. I stood there, with Nunally still clinging to me. Was I sure I wanted to do this? What a time to hesitate.

"Go, Lelouch." encouraged Nunally, speaking softly in my ear. She could always read my true desires. Even if I couldn't read them myself. I walked up to Cecile, my eyes not leaving hers. Slowly, I let her take Nunally from me. This would be my last confrontation with Suzaku. The future was uncertain and I knew I might never see my sister again. These people were all I could trust now.

I took the key that Lloyd offered me and climbed into the Sutherland.

I would go to save my witch. I would go to regain my voice. I would go to seek retribution, whether it be against Suzaku or myself.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I was Kururugi Suzaku, geass user, murderer.

When I came to, I was standing outside the Lancelot, on the rocky shore of the island. C.C. stood in front of me, twirling the Lancelot's key lazily.

"Those…were your memories, weren't they? What just happened." I said.

"Do you see now? Those of us who possess a code, we are immortal." She walked back over to the Lancelot. "Suzaku Kururugi, I, too, have a promise to keep to Lelouch. So you must understand that I would rather sink myself to the bottom of the ocean than face V.V. and the Geass Order right now." I stood up as she got back into my knightmare. "The Guren is coming. I will engage it in battle for you." she said.

"Why the hell would you do that?"

"The real reason you are here is Lelouch, isn't it? I'm sure he'll be here soon as well." She disappeared into the machine. I watched the Lancelot take to the sky with its sword drawn. Realizing that the path ahead was now clear, I turned and walked into the foreboding cave.

I wasn't sure what awaited me beyond the great stone door in front of me. I stared at the intricate designs and strange markings that were now somehow connected to me. The mystery of geass, unfortunately, was something I may never live to completely comprehend. It was an unworldly power. It had no place in the hands of humans.

I reached out my hand to the door, but suddenly I felt something graze my shoulder and ricochet off the wall. Slowly, I turned around.

There was Lelouch, facing me with a gun. His hand was steady. He was entirely serious…and deadly. He had forsaken his Zero costume for a simple Ashford Academy uniform, but to me he looked just as threatening. My heartbeat sped up significantly only by looking at him. All of the emotions that he brought out in me came rushing back.

"You can speak now." I told him.

"Why did you do it, Suzaku?" Lelouch hissed, stepping out of the shadows. "Why have you stained your hands with such a curse? Was it revenge for what happened to Euphie?" I grit my teeth angrily after hearing her name spill from his lips.

"I did it to put an end to Zero!" I shouted. "I won't lie. I wanted revenge. I wanted power. I came to realize that I have no one but myself to blame for letting this go on so long. People are just pawns in your game, aren't they, Lelouch? You'd sacrifice even members of your own family!"

"Would it only make you angrier if I told you that I have sacrificed everything for you?" Lelouch demanded. "I sacrificed my life for you. I sacrificed the battle for Japan for you. I even sacrificed Nunally by coming here. And yet you are so stupid it makes me want to…" Lelouch took a deep breath. He steadied his weapon. "I've seen what will happen to me if this continues. I've seen what I will become. I think it is time…that I sacrifice you, Suzaku." My eyes widened. He pulled the trigger.

…I turned to look at the bullet embedded in the stone inches away from my head.

"What?" snarled Lelouch. He fired again, and again, emptying his gun. He missed every single time. He howled in disbelief and tossed his gun away angrily. After panting for a moment he suddenly began to laugh. "I get it. I get it now! Your geass power is quite convenient, Suzaku. Tell me, what else can it do?"

"Would you like a demonstration, Lelouch?" I asked. I had only been told of my geass power and I was eager to try it out fully. I could justify using it against someone like Lelouch. I activated my right eye once again.

Lelouch took a few staggering steps as he hunched over with his arms wrapped around himself, screaming in agony. It was far more than I expected. I approached Lelouch. "I can make you experience pain…" I began, my adrenaline rushing, "Sickness…coldness…" Lelouch backed away from me until his shivering body was against the wall. "Fatigue…" I said. I watched his eyes become tired and I caught him before he could fall. "I could make your heart stop beating, Lelouch. Just like that." He clutched his chest, staring up at me with eyes that were not as frightened as they were angry. We were so close, I couldn't help but say what else was on my mind. "I could even…" Lelouch moaned and arched up against me. I smirked. "Well, I guess I don't need my geass for _that_."

"You…bastard." Lelouch panted. I let loose a sigh into Lelouch's dark, silky hair.

"See? And that is the problem. Although my geass gives me complete control over your body, it can't mess with your mind."

"Is it fate that we must be opposite in every possible way?" Lelouch asked. He sounded…sad. This was not what I wanted to hear. I came expecting a fight, but Lelouch was just…

"Will you sacrifice yourself to me?" I breathed.

"No," he answered. "You are going to have to make me surrender. I don't want to be the type of person too proud to admit defeat."

"Very well." I couldn't contain the impatience in me any longer. I kissed him. I was rough and messy, seeking only to dominate. He fought me at first, but he was tired and injured. Eventually, his stamina failed him and he allowed himself to be swept away, what we both knew was inevitable. My body grew hot as I latched my teeth onto him, caressing him with my fingers and my tongue and shoving him against the wall. If I could have continued I would have forgotten where we were, who we were, what we were doing here. I would only be a man. Lelouch would only be a man. Our only concern would be each other.

Lelouch's weak sounds of protest were not really protests at all. He desired with all his heart for me to possess him. I wanted to touch the rest of him so badly. I wanted to make him mine again on the same island where this had all started. But I didn't have enough time.

"Take…take care of Nunally, Suzaku." Lelouch whispered. His wrapped his arms around my neck. I saw the tears that sparkled in his eyes before he closed them. He lost consciousness and his slender body slumped forward onto my chest.

I had won.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I was Lelouch vi Britannia, traitor to my country, a disappointment.

Suzaku dragged me before the Britannian Emperor. My arms were bound behind me. Suzaku was covering my left eye with one hand and with the other, he had me by the hair, forcing me to look upon the face of my father. This was the man who had let my mother die, who had called Nunally weak, who had stripped us of our claim to the throne.

"Former seventeenth heir to the throne, Lelouch vi Britannina. It's been a long time, hasn't it, my errant son?"

If only I could use my geass…I could have the Emperor of Britannia completely under my control. But of course, Suzaku would never let me do such a thing.

"I have a request, Your Majesty." said Suzaku.

"As a reward for capturing Zero, I will grant it. What is it you desire? Money? Power?" Charles zi Britannia asked.

I wished that I would never forget what Suzaku said after that.

"My only request, Your Majesty, is that you spare his life." Suzaku replied. Even though I had lost to Suzaku, even though he was my friend and he had shot me, betrayed me, and lied to me, I knew that he loved me. The Emperor let out an enormous, booming laugh.

"Why you hold such an interest in my unworthy son is beyond me. However, I will grant your request." He stood up. As he drew nearer to me, I realized with a sickening horror his eyes. His geass-stricken eyes. Now my father addressed me. "There is another way to make this disappear. I will rewrite all of your memories. You will remember nothing about being Zero, about the death of your mother, about geass, about Nunally-"

"No!" I cried. I struggled but Suzaku held me down.

"-You'll remember none of it."

"STOP! YOU'RE TAKING AWAY WHAT'S MOST PRECIOUS TO ME AGAIN. FIRST MOTHER AND NOW NUNALLY!"

…_and Suzaku _

"Charles zi Britannia engraves in you…memories of a false life."

"NOOOO!"

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

I was Nunally Lamperouge.

It had been a few days since the battle between Britannia and the Black Knights had ended. The dust was still settling. Area 11 was still in disarray. The Tokyo settlement had been all but destroyed. The thing that worried me most, however, was the fact that my brother still had not returned.

I was back at Ashford. After all that had happened, I was still Nunally Lamperouge and things would go on like they had in the past.

…or so I thought.

I was sitting outside on the balcony, wishing that I could see the night stars, when I heard the door open behind me. Someone else had joined me.

"C.C. is that you? Is my brother with you?" I asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid Lelouch isn't coming home." C.C. answered. I dropped the paper crane that I was in the middle of folding. C.C. walked around to the front of my wheelchair so that she was facing me. "I think now would be the best time to give you this. It was Lelouch's." She placed an object in my lap. "It was very important to him and I think you have a right to know about it." I let my hands wander over it for a while before finally asking.

"What is it?"

I could tell that C.C. was smiling. I knew that this one object would answer all of my questions about Lelouch.

"It's a mask."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

A/N: Ok technically this is the end, but there will be an epilogue. Let me know whose point of view you think it should be written from. (I suggest you pick Lelouch or Suzaku if you want your lemony treat)

and please review.


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